FAQs: Solar panel (PV) rebate

Installing solar PV could save a typical household an average of $750 per annum on their electricity bills.

• Check if the retailer you want to use is on our website here. 
• Your retailer needs to quote and install products that are on our products list to be eligible.

All systems listed as Clean Energy Council (CEC) approved products meet Australian Standards and are accredited as Approved Products by the Clean Energy Council. To be eligible for a rebate products must be on our products list.

No, the Victorian Government has said that it will provide a rebate on the cost of solar panels (PV) system, up to a maximum rebate value. You will need to speak to your solar retailer to ensure the size of your system meets any other restrictions that may be in place.

Read more in our solar panel PV buyers guide about why the system size is important.

They can if they meet the eligibility criteria for community housing organisations.

To find out if your organisation is eligible, please email cho@team.solar.vic.gov.au or contact us to discuss the requirements.

Yes, however solar rebates for addresses with multiple dwellings require each dwelling to have its own system installed and each household must apply for the rebate individually. Learn about how a community successfully installed solar. 

In additional the Solar for Apartments Program offers grants to eligible Owners Corporations. We recommend that you visit the Solar for Apartments Program page to see if your building is eligible for a grant through the program.

Not everyone will be able to feed excess energy created by solar into the grid and your local distribution network service provider should inform you if this is the case.

No. If you have already installed a solar system, you will not be able to claim a rebate after installation.

The Essential Services Commission regulates prices in Victoria.  https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/electricity-and-gas(opens in a new window) 

Solar customers that install small-scale batteries as part of their current PV system will continue to be eligible to receive feed-in-tariffs for the electricity generated and exported by their system to their retailer. 

This also means that you can install a battery and still receive the premium feed-in-tariff as long as you maintain your eligibility requirements as outlined in your contract. 

Solar Homes incentives are additional to the federal STC scheme. Incentives will be calculated after the STC discount has been applied.

Owners of existing properties can arrange to have their solar PV panels and battery installed at the same time. 

Solar battery loans up to $8,800 and solar PV rebates and loans valued up to $1,400 each, are both available for eligible households. Visit our solar battery loan page(opens in a new window) for more information on installing solar PV in conjunction with a solar battery. Please note that solar PV rebates and solar battery loans require two separate applications. 

If you meet all of our solar panel (PV) rebate eligibility criteria, off-grid homes are eligible for the Solar Panel rebate. Unfortunately, a grid connection is a requirement for the solar batter loan. 

Please see further information for the solar panel (PV) rebate.

Yes, if you have received a solar panel (PV) rebate as an owner occupier for an existing property, you can also apply for a hot water rebate and a solar battery loan. Hot water rebates are available to replace existing systems, and may not be suitable for customers who currently have homes under construction. More information can be found here about hot water rebate(opens in a new window).

No, owner-occupier households that have received a solar battery rebate are not eligible for a solar PV or a hot water rebate at their current address.

Please note: a solar battery rebate is different from a solar battery loan.

If your system is more than ten years old at the time of your application, you might be eligible to apply for a rebate to replace or add solar panels. You will need to make sure that your existing system's inverter is powerful enough to handle new or additional panels before accepting a quote from your retailer.

Please note if you are receiving the premium feed-in tariff it can be impacted if you make any changes to your solar system more information can be found here.

You can find out by contacting your electricity distributor to obtain the connection date.

You can find out your distributor by entering your address in the link below: energy.vic.gov.au/electricity/electricity-distributors(opens in a new window).

You can also contact Energy Safe Victoria to obtain a Historical Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES) for the installation of the PV system.

Solar Victoria retailers and installers must comply with the Victorian Government's Waste Management Policy (e-waste).

The handling, storage, and reprocessing of solar PV and other types of e-waste is regulated under the Environment Protection Regulations 2021 by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

See the EPA website for more information about priority waste and permissions.

Yes. If you have moved house, you can apply for a solar panel (PV) rebate and loan, hot water rebate and battery loan as the owner occupier of the property you have moved to.

Yes, if the solar PV system is more than 10 years old, you may be eligible for a solar panel (PV) rebate to replace the existing system.

If you are building a new home, you can apply for a solar PV rebate and interest-free loan while your house is being built.

No. Eligibility for other rebates in the Solar Homes Program (solar hot water and solar battery rebates) applies only to existing homes.

After construction is complete, you can apply for other Solar Homes rebates as an existing property if you meet the eligibility criteria for each rebate.

If we cannot confirm property ownership from the homeowner details you have provided, we may ask you to provide a Certificate of Title. In this case, please visit Landata for information on how you can access a copy of your Certificate of Title for your property. You will need to provide information such as your street address or lot number to access it. A fee for this may be involved and it may be referred to as a 'Copy of Title' on the Landata website. Once you apply through the website, Landata will send you an email with a PDF copy of your certificate.

No. Renovations to an existing home do not qualify as a home under construction because it is an existing home. You can apply for other Solar Homes rebates and loans as an existing property if you meet the eligibility criteria for each incentive.

Yes. If you are building a new home at your existing address you can apply for the rebate and interest-free loan if you or the property have not previously received a solar PV or battery rebate.

Investing in renewable energy by installing solar on your new home will increase the energy efficiency of your property and can help you save on power bills as soon as you move in. Installing solar during construction could save on installation costs and means that you can do it all in one go without further work on your house once construction has finished and you can start saving with solar straight away.  

You should talk to your builder about when an authorised solar retailer can access the construction site to install your solar PV. When you have this timeframe from your builder, you can get a quote from your retailer who can advise you on the best solar products that would suit your home.

Then your retailer can advise you about the right time to apply for the rebate and interest free loan to ensure that installation can be completed within the application timeframe. Application timeframes for homes under construction have been extended to allow for up to 8 months from application to the completed installation.

As the customer, you should have ongoing discussions with the builder about the right time to install solar PV during construction. Update your retailer on any possible delays so they can adjust the installation times accordingly. The retailer will tell you if you need a new quote (if the old one has expired) and when to apply for a rebate and interest free loan depending on your date of installation. 

As the customer, you should be talking to both your builder and your retailer throughout the construction, application and installation timeframes, about any possible delays so that you can keep your retailer updated on when installation can occur. Retailers can then advise customers of the best time to apply for the rebate.

PV rebate customers must use an authorised solar retailer. If you cannot make arrangements with your builder to use an authorised solar retailer during construction, you could choose to wait until the home is completed and apply for a PV rebate as an owner-occupier at that time.

Solar battery loans are not available for homes under construction. If you are building a home and are interested in installing a solar battery, you should do your research and see what suits your household, then apply for a solar battery loan after the home construction is completed. 

A home under construction means a new home that is being built and is not occupied.